CSA Basket- Week One

H and I have what some call a black thumb. Last year's garden didn't fare too well. It didn't get enough sun, and all the work I did to try and critter-proof the area didn't exactly keep them out.

This year we amped up the critter-proofing, and while that seems to be going well, the new, "sunnier" area we chose for this year isn't as sunny as we thought it would be. In our defense, the new spot was extremely sunny when we dug the garden (in March), before any of the trees had leaves! The soil doesn't seem to be as good in the new spot either, and nothing is really growing. We do have a strawberry plant in a separate pot that's doing well, but every time a strawberry starts growing, a bird gets to it before we do. I guess no one ever said gardening is easy!

So in order to get my fill of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the summer and fall (since they certainly weren't going to be coming from our garden), H and I decided to join a CSA. For those who aren't familiar, CSA stands for community supported agriculture. Basically, you invest in a local farm by paying a fee early in the year and then get a share of the crops throughout the harvest season.

We were really excited for it to start, and this week brought our first basket of fresh produce. Our basket included red and green chard, a large bunch of kale, two heads of romaine, bok choy, a bunch of scallions, and two zucchinis. Luckily, the farm's website had the week's produce listed before we picked it up, so I was able to have all my recipes planned out!